Crane Mishap in Lakewood Injures Worker

A crane accident today at a hospital under construction at the Federal Center in Lakewood injured a construction worker.

The accident happened at about 11:45 a.m. at the new St. Anthony Hospital site, said Cindy Matthews, a West Metro Fire Protection District spokeswoman.

A West Metro ambulance was sent to the scene, but the injured worker had already left, driving himself to a local hospital, Matthews said.

The construction site was shut down as the crane accident is investigated, Matthews said.

Jeff McCoy, who works at the Federal Center for the U.S. Geological Survey, was eating lunch and watching.

“The crane was lifting a vertical I-beam into place, and I heard a whipping sound,” McCoy said. “The crane had a weightless look, and I saw it come down and twist.” the construction when he heard and saw the accident.

McCoy watched as the “top part of it fell down against the lower main boom.”

A worker at the site said a cable on the crane snapped, whipping a steel ball attached to the cable through the upper portion of the crane. As the ball rammed through the top of the crane, the upper portion exploded, he said, sending parts of the crane’s jib to the ground. The worker asked not to be identified because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media.

Details on how the injured worker was hurt were not available.

McCoy said he was relieved that no one was seriously hurt or killed in the accident.

“These cranes are so large, they are really large beasts,” McCoy said. “It’s great no one was directly under it.”